Mobikwik app removed from Google Play Store due to Aarogya Setu!

MobiKwik app has been removed from Google Play Store due to violating Google Play Store’s ad policy. According to Bipin Preet Singh, co-founder and CEO of MobiKwik, this was done because the app has a link to the Aarogya Setu app. Singh said in an interview that Mobikwik had received a warning from Google a week ago for promoting Aarogya Setu, but when contacted, Mobikwik said it was a mistake. However, even after this the app has now been removed from the Google Play Store.

Singh has Tweet MobiKwik and other fintech firms were asked by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to include the link of the Aarogya Setu app, so that more and more people can become aware to download this contact tracing app. Remind that Arogya Setu has been downloaded more than 10 crore times so far. Other apps like Paytm include links to Aarogya Setu on both Android and iOS app versions.

“The app was removed because we had a link to the Aarogya Setu app,” Bipin Preet Singh told Tech News by Careers Ready over an email. They gave us a warning a week ago and we explained that we were told to do so. Then today they were the first to remove this app. This happened around 3 pm (IST) and then we contacted their team and resubmitted the app after removing the link to Aarogya Setu, after which Google has now made the app live.”

Singh also said, (translated) “Google clarified that there is no harm in promoting the Aarogya Setu app on MobiKwik. However, today they removed our app from the Play Store without any notice.”

The latest version of the app is now available on Google Play. The link below no longer contains Aarogya Setu in this version, Singh confirmed.

Google has policies against apps that contain misleading or disruptive advertising and are not clearly labeled. However, if this is the reason why the MobiKwik app has been removed from Google Play, then we have to ask why other apps that promote Aarogya Setu are being allowed on the store.